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Everyone has heard of the El nino andits effects it has on Utah. But what about La Nina? Is that where the watercools? And what effect does it have on Utah, does it cause droughts or things like that?
Kesler C.
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Blame it on El Nino, now that's one saying I hate to hear! El Nino is a weather phenomena you hear about sometimes, lately, not so much but in the late 90's it was a big deal. It's a warming of Sea Surface Temperatures (SST's) in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean. By having that warmer ocean, it then influences weather patterns and can really change things around the globe especially in the US and some Asian countries. This affects not just weather but fishing and other industries and can really have large economic impact.
Fortunately for us, the NWS Salt Lake has done some studies on El Nino and La Nina and how it affects the weather in Utah. They found that there was a change in precipitation amounts during La Nina years and no significant changes in Utah during El Nino years.
La Nina is the opposite of El Nino, where that water becomes cooler than normal or has cold anomalies in temperatures. In the La Nina winters, SLC and Cedar City were found to be wetter than average and Blanding was found to be dry. But during the La Nina summers studies, all three places were found to be drier. You can click the link to the study and look at some of the easy to read graphs that are listed.
You can't say if El Nino or La Nina directly causes drought or a prolonged period without rain, there's still moisture happening with both of these events, just with some seasons, it might be a little less than average.
Check the link on the right also the Climate Prediction Center. You can actually look at current SST's in the oceans and whether they are cooler or warmer or at average. Some El Ninos are stronger than others and some La Ninas are stronger too, so not all of them cause enormous changes around the globe.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
